Effie has been walking weirdly, avoiding putting weight on her front right foot, since Sunday and I took her to the vet today, assuming she probably had a sprain or something and it was no big deal. They wanted to do x-rays to make sure everything was all right, so I left her there, and it turns out she has a bone infection, which is super terrifying. She's not supposed to run or jump until she's healed because it could cause a fracture, which means she's in a crate for a long time. Fortunately my parents had an extra dog crate they're lending me.

Apparently this is pretty uncommon and my vet has never treated it before. I love her and trust her and she's consulting other doctors and stuff though. If anyone has any stories about how their cat had a bone infection and is just fine now, that would be awesome. Or if anyone has a story about how they had to keep their little kitten confined in a crate or closely supervised for a significant portion of time...I feel so bad for locking her up. Or if anyone has any get rich quick schemes because so far I've spent $936 and there will be more x-rays.

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish

Aww. Poor Effie. Poor you too; I know you must be so stressed and worried.

It's so hard to have to be mean to them for their own good. We were wrecks when we had to give the tiel belly shots with a hypodermic twice a day. She had holes and scabs on every inch of her breast area before it was over. And she had to live in the tiny carrier cage to keep warm and still. She is happy and healthy now, so that is a good vibe story.

_________________"This is the creepiest post ever if you don't know who Molly is." -Fee"a vegan death match sounds like something where we all end up hugging." -LisaPunk

Thanks lavawitch. She actually seems totally fine with being in the crate right now--the painkillers probably help. I took her out for a bit and in about 20 seconds she jumped onto three different things. Kittens are fast, I couldn't stop her. I was hoping we could just cuddle on my bed or something but it doesn't seem like that's what she wants to do. I can't keep her in that tiny space for a month or longer, I was thinking about how animals kept in cages in testing facilities go insane, and how kittens need to be properly socialized, so I need to figure out how we're going to make this work. I need a room with no furniture where we can hang out together on the floor and not jump anywhere. I wish I lived in a place big enough where I could just move some furniture elsewhere. My vet said if I was having trouble keeping her still we could also keep her sedated, which I'll definitely be chatting more about tomorrow.

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish

I do have a harness that I've used for my other cat, so I just tried it on Effie...she's never worn one before, though, and she started thrashing around trying to get it off. Thrashing around is exactly the sort of thing she's not supposed to be doing so it's off now. If I could risk leaving it on so she got used to it it might be a good solution.

Totally calling my vet about sedatives when they're open, I want to let Effie have plenty of time out of her crate while I'm at home but she keeps on running all over the living room.

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish

Putting it straight on will freak her out, it has to be done in stages, over a few days. Mr Angus was 15 and had never worn a collar when I trained him. I got him used to the harness by leaving it at his nose during grooming time, then would touch him with it, eventually moving on to clipping it around his neck for just a few minutes at a time, taking it off before he would look uncomfortable. After a few days I was able to stick it on him and throw him out the back door, realising he was getting a trip outside soon took his mind of it.

I might just see if I can introduce it slowly, but I also don't really want to stress her out more than she is already, so we'll see how it goes. I'm going to the pet store to see if they have bigger crates, and I'll probably pick up way too many treats for her.

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish

Chester dislocated his hip, and the first thing they tried (she says with manic laughter, it ended up not working) was to pop it back in and then wrap his foot up next to his penis to keep everything in place. Maybe your vet can do that to your cat? She might have to wear a cone too to prevent her from gnawing at it until she gets it off. It only took Chester a few days to get the hang of walking on three legs. It sucks but at least she would have freedom!

_________________"The Tree is His Penis"

The tree is his penis // it's very exciting // when held up to his mouth // the lights are all lighting // his eyes start a-bulging // in unbridled glee // the tree is his penis // its beauty, effulgent -amandabear

Chester dislocated his hip, and the first thing they tried (she says with manic laughter, it ended up not working) was to pop it back in and then wrap his foot up next to his penis to keep everything in place. Maybe your vet can do that to your cat? She might have to wear a cone too to prevent her from gnawing at it until she gets it off. It only took Chester a few days to get the hang of walking on three legs. It sucks but at least she would have freedom!

The vet and I chatted about the idea of a splint or cast, but she says most cats will freak out and thrash around trying to get it off and won't get used to it. My other cat had a cone for bit once and she went totally crazy and knocked over everything in sight. She knocked over her water dish nine times in a row. I think dogs usually adjust to that sort of thing better than cats. I might talk to my vet more about it if containing and supervising her doesn't seem to be working.

I'm going to go drink wine in the shower until I feel better about life.

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish

That is true, cats have a natural instinct to give things the finger. I can't imagine how much noise that cat is making, so it must be really stressful for you. Enjoy your shower wine!

_________________"The Tree is His Penis"

The tree is his penis // it's very exciting // when held up to his mouth // the lights are all lighting // his eyes start a-bulging // in unbridled glee // the tree is his penis // its beauty, effulgent -amandabear

Oh, I'm sorry! I know how difficult it is to keep a kitten still! I'm sure having to stay confined is boring for her, but there are things you can do that don't involve her jumping around. Instead of putting her food in a bowl, you can put it in places she has to work for it (underneath a plastic cup that she has to tip over, scattered under a towel she has to burrow under, stuffed in a cardboard paper towel roll with tissue paper, etc.). Since she has to be in a crate, maybe you could place it somewhere where she can see out the window. If it makes you feel any better, the cats at animal shelters often have to live in small cages for months at a time, and although it's not ideal, most of them survive the experience just fine.

raspberrycomplaint, making her crate face a window is genius, I don't know why I didn't think of that! I have a huge window that starts from the ground and she loves staring out there. She hasn't been eating a ton so I don't really want to make eating more difficult, but she does have a treat ball that she was playing with for a little bit. It actually makes me feel tons better to think about how animals in shelters frequently live in cages, I totally hadn't thought of that.

My vet wanted her retested for FIV and feline leukemia since those diseases make bone infections more likely, and I was super terrified, especially by the idea of feline leukemia because if her first test was wrong and she did have it my other cat could also easily have it by now, but they are both negative, thank goodness.

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish

Sweet jebus. I would definitely push for a cast or the wrapped up foot thing, yes she will hate it, but she'll get used to it and you will both be less miserable in the long run. Cats do break bones so it's not as if a cat has never worn a cast before. Like, I only work part time and have zero social life so I have plenty of time to watch Chester, but I assume you leave the house more than I do, and that much crating for two months sounds pretty miserable.

_________________"The Tree is His Penis"

The tree is his penis // it's very exciting // when held up to his mouth // the lights are all lighting // his eyes start a-bulging // in unbridled glee // the tree is his penis // its beauty, effulgent -amandabear

Sweet jebus. I would definitely push for a cast or the wrapped up foot thing, yes she will hate it, but she'll get used to it and you will both be less miserable in the long run. Cats do break bones so it's not as if a cat has never worn a cast before. Like, I only work part time and have zero social life so I have plenty of time to watch Chester, but I assume you leave the house more than I do, and that much crating for two months sounds pretty miserable.

I'm going to ask my vet about some sort of wrapping. I don't think a cast is practical because she is going to be betting x-rays every two weeks, but perhaps some sort of splint. This week I have managed to only be gone for four hours a day but next week that will be harder...also considering that this is costing me $1700 so far I need to be working more than that!

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish

Also, assuming she's on pain meds, they should help sedate her a little bit so she will care less. Chester has two pain meds, one makes him more sleepy than the other so that's the one I give him before work, so he can sleep through the morning (he has to stay in a pen), and then a lighter one for the evenings/days i'm off.

_________________"The Tree is His Penis"

The tree is his penis // it's very exciting // when held up to his mouth // the lights are all lighting // his eyes start a-bulging // in unbridled glee // the tree is his penis // its beauty, effulgent -amandabear

Also, assuming she's on pain meds, they should help sedate her a little bit so she will care less. Chester has two pain meds, one makes him more sleepy than the other so that's the one I give him before work, so he can sleep through the morning (he has to stay in a pen), and then a lighter one for the evenings/days i'm off.

Her pain meds do make her a little sleepier, and she was sleeping more than normal before she was even diagnosed with anything, probably because her body was busy fighting an infection, so a lot of the time she is pretty chill, but I might be getting sedatives so she can actually spend more time outside the crate...if she comes out the crate I pretty much have to be within inches of her unless she's napping, because she will suddenly bolt across the room and jump on the couch or whatever. And then I chase her and grab her and worry that she's fractured her foot and put her back in the crate.

I really appreciate everyone's support! I love Effie so much, she is so incredibly sweet and loving* (not just saying that, I love my other cat too but would never describe her that way) and I'm so glad I have her, but wow, this is not what I was expecting within 3 months of adopting her.

*The vet and vet techs kept on telling me about how affectionate she was when she was there to get her initial x-rays, she wouldn't stop purring and headbutting and wanting cuddles, and they were like, we think the painkillers are making her that way! But nope, she's really just like that all the time.

_________________"No one with hair so soft and glossy could ever be bad at anything." - Tofulish